


The Serpent's Fate

by 00Aredhel00



Series: The Serpent's Fate [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angst, Chronic Pain, Crowley Has Chronic Pain (Good Omens), Crowley was cursed for tempting Eve, Fluff and Angst, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I feel bad for doing this to Crowley, I really do, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Pre-Slash, Protective Aziraphale (Good Omens), Protective Crowley (Good Omens), Snake Crowley (Good Omens), body switch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-24 02:03:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20018443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00Aredhel00/pseuds/00Aredhel00
Summary: 6,000 years ago, God cursed the snake for tempting Eve. Now that they have to switch bodies to escape the wrath of both heaven and hell, Crowley has a confession to make.





	The Serpent's Fate

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second "Good Omens" story, I really hope you enjoy :) I'm not a native speaker, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes! Please tell me in the comments what you think!

The plan made sense, even the weird prophecy of the long dead mad witch made sense … and still Crowley was hesitant. Not because he didn’t believe the plan would work – deep down he knew it would, although there were more than enough possibilities for it to go wrong – and not because he didn’t trust Aziraphale, because if there was anyone in heaven, on earth or in hell that he trusted, it was the angel. Also, he knew that they knew each other well enough, long enough, to be able to convince their respective opposing side that they were the respective other.

All that did not worry him. 

What worried him was a feeling, an urge, that had been strong in him for several millennia and was all but easy to overcome: To keep the angel save and unhurt.

He knew it was ridiculous, that the hurt that would come to him would be far worse if they didn’t switch bodies, but still …

“Crowley, dear, do you have doubts about the plan?” 

They were standing in Crowley’s flat, Aziraphale still holding out his hand, waiting for Crowley to take it, waiting for them to switch bodies. After some drinking, getting sober again and hours of talking they had, after all, both decided that it was the most logical thing to do. You can’t kill a demon by the same means as an angel and vice versa. If they switched bodies, their soul – or whatever there was in Crowley’s case – would still be the same and the body they would then inhabit would be affected by that. If everything worked out, it would keep them both safe. 

It was their only chance. 

“I need to tell ya something first”, Crowley said in a slow voice. It wasn’t easy. He had kept that secret from everyone for so long, unwilling to admit weakness, even to Aziraphale. 

Slowly the angel let his hand sink down and looked at him with those eyes Crowley could spend hours looking at. Now they were curious and slightly concerned. 

The demon sighed heavily, started pacing around the angel, a habit that actually had something to do with what he was about to reveal. He wondered how to start, how to say something that had been his secret for 6,000 years. Aziraphale’s eyes followed him. 

Finally, he started speaking. “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life. Blah, blah, blah.”

Surprised the angel raised his eyebrows. “Well, I must admit I didn’t expect you of all people to quote the Bible. But … what are you trying to tell me? This was obviously wrongly transcribed, dear. You are walking, after all. You are right now.” 

Finally, Crowley came to a halt right in front of Aziraphale. He did not take off his sunglasses, glad that he didn’t have to meet his eyes directly. “No, it wasn’t, angel.” He paused a moment, before continuing. “I just think it’s fair to warn you before you are trapped in my body for a few hours or a day or whatever. It will hurt.”

Aziraphale just stared at him with barely masked concern. “I fear I don’t quite understand …” His voice was quiet, as though he feared what was to come now. 

“Yeah … You know, I’m not supposed to walk. I wasn’t supposed to take a human form ever again. I defied Her, being the bastard that I am.”

He remembered that moment all too clearly. He had seen Aziraphale standing on the wall surrounding Eden. So perfect, so beautiful. He had watched him many times before that, while he had been, as he had called it himself very recently, on apple tree duty. Crowley had wanted nothing more than talk to him, but not in this form, not as the sinful reptile which had just sealed humanity’s fate. He wanted to talk to him as an equal, or at least as much an equal as he could, being the demon he was. And so he had slithered up the wall and before Aziraphale could see him, he had changed his form. Back then, the first time after God had cursed him for tempting Eve, it had taken so much more willpower than it did now, but he had done it, he had stood by the angel’s side for the first time of many more to come. And it had been worth the side effects, still was. 

“I’m not supposed to have legs,” he continued. “Therefore, they hurt every time I stand or walk on them. Mostly when I stand for a long time, that’s the main reason I try to keep moving. But walking for too long isn’t much better, really. It gets worse when it’s cold and when I’m under a lot of strain. So it’s pretty bad right now. I doubt it will stop just because you’re in my body.” 

Aziraphale stilled stared at him, stunned. He waited for the pity he had wanted to avoid so much. Maybe the disgust. The realisation that this was exactly what Crowley, the Serpent of Eden, deserved. 

Instead, light blue eyes became watery. There was no pity, only compassion, so much compassion. “Oh my dear boy. I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I should have noticed.”

Trying to hide the lump in his own throat, Crowley shook his head once. “Bullshit. I didn’t want you to know and so you didn’t. Easy as that. I’m used to it.” That wasn’t exactly true. On some days, warm and lazy days, preferably spent on the sofa of Aziraphale’s book shop, he indeed hardly noticed it, but there were days when he just wanted to scream and scream and scream. Not that this would change anything. The only thing that helped then was hiding away in his flat and spending some days in his snake form.

“How can you get used being in constant pain?”

Crowley raised his shoulders, slowly circling Aziraphale again, just to stretch his legs, to stop them from cramping up too much. 

“There’s a lot you can put up with if you have to, angel. Anyway, I’m not telling you that for the sake of whining. I just want you to be prepared. It won’t be pleasant.”

Aziraphale straightened, turning around to look at Crowley. “If you can endure that for 6,000 years, I will manage for a mere day.” Again, he held out his hand.

The demon sighed. “Let’s sit down.” Hopefully that would lessen the initial shock. It was indeed pretty bad right now, with the stress of the fucking Apocalypse that didn’t happen after all and being on his legs almost constantly for days, his legs and hips were cramping like crazy. It wouldn’t be easy for the angel to pretend to be him when constantly distracted like that.

In the vague hope that the pain would follow him, no matter which body he inhabited, he finally took his friend’s hand – one of the few times he had actually touched him – and concentrated. The switch was quick and went without a problem and for a few selfish seconds he relished in the feeling to be truly painless for the first time in 6,000 years despite his human form. Aziraphale’s body was so very comfortable and …

The few moments of bliss were interrupted by a quiet, suppressed groan. 

Crowley looked up and saw his own body, face not carefully concealing the pain with the ease of years and years of practice, but with a tight and painful expression. Aziraphale tried to hide it, but it must have hit him, who had surely known very little true pain in his long life, like a damn sledgehammer. The angel, trapped in the demon’s body, moved around, trying to find a position which was more comfortable. Crowley knew that this was a more than useless effort, especially in the current condition his body was in. It would take days of rest to get better after the last few days and let’s face it – years. Being in the useless nanny costume every day – he hated himself for having invented high heels – hadn’t exactly been comfortable either. 

It was hellish for him, he couldn’t imagine how Aziraphale was feeling.

“I’m so sorry, angel.” His voice was uncharacteristically quiet and sincere. Despite the wonderful lightness of being in a different body he would have switched back immediately, but that wouldn’t help. It would get them both killed. 

Aziraphale looked at him, the golden snake eyes painfully wide and unbelieving. “You live like that all the time?”

“No, not all the time, really. It’s not always that bad. It’s just been … crazy lately. As I said before, stress and a lot of strain makes it worse, so there we are. You shouldn’t have to endure that. You of all people sure as hell don’t deserve it.” The words were out before he could think them through. 

“You don’t either!” For a moment the tightness left Crowley’s voice with which the angel now spoke. But his voice was uncharacteristically passionate. “I don’t care if you want to hear it or not, but you are one of the kindest people I have known in all my existence! You don’t deserve that. And if She thinks you do, well …” The angel’s voice faltered, but he did continue. “Then She’s wrong.”

“Don’t say that”, Crowley almost hissed in shock.

“Oh I will. Even to Her face, if I must.”

They were both quiet for a moment, then Aziraphale carefully got up, trying to keep his face straight, just like Crowley had done all those years. He walked a few tentative steps, getting used to the feeling, then he made an effort to walk normally, and then in Crowley’s typical way of walking. He was doing surprisingly well and the demon respected him even more for it.  
“I thought you walk like that because it’s easier. It’s not, though, is it?” Questioningly the angel looked at him.

Despite himself, Crowley grinned. “Nah, it’s just for the sake of sinful vanity.”

\--- 

It went well. Crowley had convinced heaven that he was Aziraphale and could not be killed by hellfire. The only thing he regretted was not being able to give that smug bastard Gabriel a good push towards the flames. 

To his endless relief, Aziraphale already waited for him on their usual park bench, sitting there in a typical Crowley manner. 

He was alright. Everything had been worth it. 

They exchanged a few words, made sure neither heaven nor hell was watching them and then Crowley held out his hand. 

This time, however, it was the angel who hesitated. “Are you ready for switching back?” His voice was hesitant once more, very quiet and through Crowley’s sunglasses he looked into the demon’s currently blue eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean … We could stay like this for a few days. I could take it. Really. I mean, I just get some rest, allow your body to recover, you enjoy a few painless days and when you return to your body, it won’t be so hard.”

Crowley had to look away. Those words, still spoken without pity, but endlessly compassionate and with so much kindness, moved him more than he wanted to admit. 

And for a moment he was tempted. A few days, a few blissful days without pain, when he could do whatever he wanted to do … But no, he could not allow that. Not when Aziraphale had to bear his punishment during this time. How should he enjoy a single second with that knowledge?

Still he could not bring himself to say no immediately. “Why would you do that?”, he asked instead. An honest question; he didn’t understand it. Why would the angel, who had very recently claimed to not even like him, do something like that for him? 

The angel raised his shoulders, looking at Crowley almost … sadly. “I can’t stand the thought of you being in pain all the time,” he finally admitted quietly. “And I can’t believe I never noticed. I will never cease to be sorry about that, my dear. I just want you to have … you know, a few nice days, I suppose. You deserve that so much.”

Crowley closed his eyes, shook his head slowly, but felt long, thin fingers, his own fingers, but not controlled by himself, on his cheeks. “Yes, you do, my dear. You really do.” 

The demon took a deep, shuddering breath, again shaking his head. “No, we switch back now. I can turn into a snake and just sleep for a few days. It’ll be better after that. I doubt you’d manage that trick.”

“Probably not,” Aziraphale admitted, his hands now on his shoulders. He hesitated. “But … we can switch again someday. When you need a break. Any time, my dear.”

Crowley had no idea how to react to such a kind gesture and so he only nodded shortly, not meeting Aziraphale’s eyes, and with no intention at all of ever taking him by the offer. 

Then he held out his hand and this time the angel took it. 

\- End -

**Author's Note:**

> I'm considering to start a small series based on this. What do you think?


End file.
